Leakage of body fluid from the sides of sanitary napkins, feminine pads, panty liners, diapers, incontinent garments, etc. is a problem especially during periods of heavy flow. One reason for side leakage is that the body fluid, for example: menses, blood, catamenial fluids and urine, can not be absorbed fast enough by the absorbent and therefore will pool on the liquid permeable cover. This liquid is then transported to the sides of the product which are the closest peripheral edges to the fluid. The fluid movement can also be facilitated by the convex shape of the cover and by any creases which may form in the cover due to the wearer's anatomy and body movement. Side leakage can also be influenced by the thinnest of the product since thin products do not conform to the anatomy of the wearer as well as thicker products.
Many new products have been made with the goal of solving side leakage. Success has been achieved by products which closely follow the shape of the body and have their greatest absorption capacity where the need is greatest. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,770,657, 4,701,177, 4,579,556, 4,668,230 and 4,772,282 present shaped feminine products which utilize side flaps or wings adjacent to the longitudinal side edges to prevent side leakage. Other embodiments are taught in foreign patents GB 2,156,681, GB 2,142,241, GB 2,142,541, EP 0,091,412, EP 0,164,435 and EP 0,139,484.
With the use of these body conforming products, there has been voiced a concern that the baffle sometimes irritates the inner thighs. Several U.S. Pat. Nos., including 3,779,246, 4,641,381, 4,681,793 and 4,704,107 teach baffles constructed of inner and outer layers so as to provide a soft feel against the wearer's skin and a liquid-impermeable layer to hold in the body fluids. However, these dual layer baffles have only been used with relatively flat products.
Now, a new bicomponent baffle has been incorporated into a three-dimensional shaped absorbent article to provide superior protection against side leakage while also providing a soft feel against the wearer's thighs.